Commas and Conjunctions

CONJUNCTIONSthey bring objects together

For And Nor But Or Yet So

A coordinating conjunction is a word that connects or joins words or groups of words to each other.

The 7 Coordinating Conjunctions

The word FOR is most often used as a preposition, of course, but it does serve, on rare occasions, as a coordinating conjunction. It deals mostly with sequence or the order of things.

◦I hate to waste a single drop of squid eyeball stew, for it is expensive and time-consuming to make.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down…

• When you want to join words or phrases, use the conjunction and.

◦and = in addition to

◦Ex. The bowl of squid eyeball stew is hot and delicious.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

The conjunction, nor, means not or neither.

◦Ex. Rocky refuses to eat dry cat food, nor will he touch a saucer of squid eyeball stew.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

When a sentence has two things that are in conflict or that are opposites, use the conjunction but.

◦but = however

◦Ex. Rocky, my orange tomcat, loves having his head scratched but hates getting his claws trimmed.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

When there is a choice between two or more options, use the conjunction or.

◦or = alternatively

◦Ex. The squid eyeball stew is so thick that you can eat it with a fork or spoon.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

Yet functions as a coordinating conjunction meaning something like "nevertheless" or "but.”

◦yet = however

◦Ex. Rocky terrorizes the poodles next door yet adores the German shepherd across the street.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

When on thing is a result of another, use the conjunction so.

◦Ex. Even though I added cream to the squid eyeball stew, Rocky ignored his serving, so I got a spoon and ate it myself.

FANBOYS: Breakin’ it Down

Commasenclosing words, phrases,

and clauses since the beginning of time.

A panda walks into a bar. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why? Why are you behaving in this strange, un-panda-like fashion?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda walks towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

8 Comma Usage Rules

Comma Crash Course

Do not use a comma if all items are joined by and or or.

Example◦Romeo, Juliet, and Friar Laurence were

present at the ceremony.◦Falling in love, getting married, and ending

the feud all occurred in less than a week.

◦Romeo and Juliet had as advisors the nurse and Friar Laurence and Benvolio.

Rule 1: Commas separate parts of a series, words, phrases, and clauses

 Example◦Young, beautiful Juliet married daring, dashing Romeo.

◦The dark, stormy night was frightening.

Rule 2: Commas separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun.

Example◦ Rocky refuses to eat dry cat food, nor will he touch a saucer of squid eyeball stew.

◦We looked through the school, and we searched outside the building.

Rule 3: Use a comma before for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so to separate independent clauses in compound sentences.

Example◦Juliet, who is a Capulet, married her Montague enemy.

◦Awakened by the lark, Juliet wished it to be a nightingale.

Rule 4: Commas separate participial phrases and adjective clauses that are nonessential. Commas do not set off phrases or clauses that are essential to the meaning of the sentence.

Example◦When Romeo and Juliet first met, they spoke in sonnet form.

◦Having learned that Romeo killed Tybalt, the Prince Excalus banished the young Montague.

◦Yes, the story is a tragedy.

Rule 5: Commas follow participial phrases, adverb clauses, words such as well, yes, no, and names of direct address that begin sentences.

Do not use commas if the appositive is used for emphasis or identifies the person or thing by telling which one of two or more.

  Example

◦Verona, the setting for the play, is in Italy.◦Go, Juliet, to Friar Laurence's cell.◦Mark Ferguson, Ph.D., is pursuing a new

career in the literary field.

Rule 6: Use commas to enclose interrupters such as, most appositives and appositive phrases, titles and degrees after a name, words in direct address

Example◦When he first saw West Side Story, Juan said, "This story is similar to Romeo and Juliet.”

Rule 7: Commas separate a quotation from its source, such as "he said" or "she said."

Example◦May 23, 1990, is her birthday.◦Nashville, Tennessee, is his hometown.◦Dear Romeo,◦June 15, 1994

Rule 8: Commas are used in certain conventional situations such as, items in dates or addresses and after the salutation of a friendly letter and closing of any letter.

On the top of a blank sheet of paper, write of the following story starters:

◦It was a strange night, there seemed to be a chill in the air...

◦As soon as I arrived, I could sense that something was out of place...

◦Sometimes I think my friend has strange powers. Every time he's around…

◦All of the sudden I was trapped!

Comma/Conjunction Group Write

Write your name on the left of the top line of your paper.

Begin your story. Write 6 sentences. 3 of which must include one of the 8 comma rules.

Exchange papers with someone else.

Write your name in the left margin and add 6 new sentences to continue the story. 3 of which must include one of the 8 comma rules. Exchange.

Everyone must contribute to 3 stories, eventually, using all 8 rules.

Group write guidelines